And I’m all about giving Sophia what she wants.
I hiss when my fingertips slide through her crease. She’s dripping. So wet and hot. I stroke her clit, spreading the wetness there and she mewls.
Fuck, I need to taste her.
I set her down on her feet and gently push her against the wall. I kiss her mouth, jaw and neck as I slide the straps of her tank top down her arms and peel the fabric down to her waist. My lips travel across her collarbone. She thrusts her chest forward when my mouth covers her nipple. With each slide of my tongue, she grows more eager. My focus moves to the other nipple and she hisses.
Ignoring the pain in my thigh, I lower myself to my knees and look up at her. Her eyes beam with wanting. When I yank her panties down to her ankles, she digs her fingers into my hair and steps out of her underwear.
I spread her silky lips with my fingers and grin. “Since you seem to have a problem with the bed sheets, I think I’ll just have to eat your pussy like this.”
She starts to laugh but the sound turns thready and high-pitched when I swipe my tongue along the bud of her clit.
Her fingernails scratch at the wall. “Dammit, Archie. Give a girl some warning.”
I throw one of her shapely legs over my shoulder for better access. “You came in here knowing fully well what you were getting yourself into, Daisy.”
She claws at my back and arches her spine, crying out as I swirl my tongue on her clit. When I dip two fingers inside, her pussy spasms hard. My hand probes her deeper and faster, just to hear her animalistic cries and to see the pleasure shattering her veneer.
“Fuck, Archie,” she purrs, thrusting her hips. “You make it feel so good. You know exactly how to make it feel so good.” I hear the awe in her tone.
When I have her like this, flushed and hot and pressed against the wall, she isn’t thinking about right and wrong and other people’s opinions. She’s just living in the moment, riding the wave of pleasure. I love having this power over her. The power to make her let go of her inhibitions.
My tongue stabs through her folds and fucks her tight hole. This is getting messy but I don’t care. All that matters is delivering the pleasure she deserves, making her body sing.
It isn’t long before she’s shaking. Pleas and prayers fly from her mouth. I don’t stop until she’s coming, until her body is clenching hard. When her knees start to give out, I pin her hips to the wall and lick her until the shockwaves begin to subside.
Her body is sweating and shivering and struggling to recover from the violent orgasm. Kissing a path up her torso, I rise to my feet and all the pain I was feeling minutes ago has somehow disappeared. Like magic.
She’s still boneless when I pull her from the wall and position her in front of the mirror. “Hands on the dresser,” I order her as I position myself behind her. My cock is a concrete beam, nestling between her ass cheeks.
Her fingers brace the lip of the wood and she leans forward as I dig a condom out of the drawer. I lower my sweatpants on my hips, just enough to let my hard, twitching cock go free. My lips trail her neck and shoulder blade as I sheathe myself.
She’s flushed all over. Her eyes are shiny and wide in the darkening room. “You make me feel so good,” she whispers as if she’s afraid to say it out loud. As if it’s bad somehow.
“I’m not done making you feel good.” I flick on the lamp on the dresser and we watch each other in the mirror. “I want you to see what you look like when my cock is inside you.”
She sucks in a breath and nods. I angle my cock at her entrance and when I breach her snug opening, her eyes squeeze shut and her lips fall open.
The pit of my stomach goes tight as I plunge into her wet heat. Again and again, I thrust into her, the elastic of my waistband cinched around my ass.
I want to rip myself free of these stupid sweatpants but I can’t stand the thought of her seeing what I’ve become. I hate the idea of her seeing my broken pieces. I want her to see me as a man. I want her to look at me with the same wild adoration she wore that night in Vegas. So, I ignore my discomfort and fuck her harder.
My attention shifts away from my insecurities and fixes on her reflection in the mirror. “Look how beautiful you are, Daisy. Look how gorgeous you are.”
Her eyes snap open and she takes in the image playing out in the mirror. Her in front of me, her beautiful tits bouncing each time I stab into her from behind. My fingers tweaking her clit in a rapid motion. Her soft belly clenching in response to the pleasure.
It’s too much. She drops her head to the side to lessen the intensity.
My lips slide along her cheek until they touch her earlobe. “Don’t look away, Sophia. I know this is scary. And it’s overwhelming. But it’s real…This connection between us is real. So be here with me. Don’t look away.”
A shaky breath leaves her when our eyes connect again. Fuck, it’s intense. The sheer strength of our connection claws into my chest. The need grows so strong that I can’t help myself anymore.
I devolve into a madman, fucking her so hard. No mercy. No restraint. She loves it. She lets go of her inhibitions and releases herself to me completely. Her moans fill my ear as her pussy leaks and clenches around me. She’s slick and hot and perfect.
So eager for this cock. So unashamed to show it.
I needed her tonight. I needed her body. I needed to sink inside of her and feel the comfort that comes only when I’m lost in her. Because there’s no other place in the world like this. No other place that feels like it was made just for me. With this woman in my arms, I feel like I’m home.
I’ve been in love with her since the very first night I met her.
Her body reacts as if it can hear my thoughts. She reaches back and locks her fingers behind my neck, causing her chest to curve into a beautiful arch. She clenches all over and her pussy ripples around my cock. “Archie! Archie! Yes!” She shouts with pleasure.
Her orgasm triggers my own and I pound into her like a man gone mad. And I don’t stop until my knees are barely holding me up.
She collapses into my hold as the pleasure wanes. I kiss a trail down her cheek.
Our eyes lock and we grin at each other. She wipes sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. After a long moment of just holding her, looking at her, I loosen my hold on her waist and step back.
“Sorry if I was a bit 'over enthusiastic’.” She bites her lip with embarrassment as she lowers the skirt bunched up around her waist. “It's been a while."
That information surprises me. “Well damn. You're really good at it. You should do it more often. Preferably with me."
Her pretty laugh is music to my ears. “Well the last time I had sex was with you. I guess I'm still programmed to your settings."
I blink with shock. Is she telling me that no man has touched this beautiful body in two years? “You haven’t had sex since me…”
“I haven’t,” she confirms.
And the surge of masculine pride I get is downright primal. Right then and there, she becomes mine. Even if she hasn’t realized it yet.
I run my palm down the inside of her thigh. “Go lie down on the ugly comforter, Daisy. We have some catching up to do.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sophia
You know that vibe you get when you're at a party and you're kind of tipsy and your favorite Top 40 song comes on? I mean, something catchy—a Taylor Swift jam or something featuring Bruno Mars? You kind of just throw your hands up and shake your hips and holler the lyrics with zero fucks about whether or not you're on key. Because you and the music are one.
Well, that's the vibe that breaks out across my living room floor when the Baby Shark song starts on the wall-mounted flat screen.
The kids take over the makeshift dance floor, partying hard. Jumping. Clapping. Flailing. I think Gaston is trying to twerk. God, help us. And from where I’m standing, Sebastian seems to be living his best life on that potty in the corner of the washroom.
A
rchie is in the middle of it, whirling around with them, dancing despite his subtle limp and the occasional wince on his face. And my heart is so full. So, so full watching that man.
What I did is crazy. Offering him a job here when he doesn’t know that one of the students is his daughter. Every time I think about it, my heart catapults into my throat.
I had no choice, though. I couldn’t let him leave town. Not when I’m starting to realize that telling him about River is the right thing to do. He’s a great guy and maybe he does want a family. Maybe he’d like to settle down. Maybe he’d be a wonderful dad. I’d never forgive myself if I let him walk away without exploring that possibility.
I need him. And I think he needs me. And he needs River even though he doesn't know her yet.
Now, I just have to build up the nerve to actually tell him about her. And I have to do it soon.
A part of me is scared that my friends might casually mention my daughter in conversation one day. I’d hate for Archie to find out that way. But he isn’t exactly on speaking terms with Charlie and Leo ever since he quit Hartley Construction. Plus, Nova and Reese have made it clear that they won’t be dishing out the scoop. If Archie and I want to get to know each other, we’re going to have to figure it out ourselves. No shortcuts. No cop-outs. I’m hoping they don’t change their minds before I get my act together and woman up to this man about our daughter.
So, today is Day 1 of Archie working here with me. The kids love him. He’s already taken so much responsibility off my plate. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s so much fun to look at.
I still get shivers thinking about the way he fucked me in his motel room last night. That man’s touch affects me like no other. I love the way it feels when we’re together.
But needing him like this is disorienting. Because I’ve spent the past two years trying to build myself up to the point where I don’t need anyone else to help me stand on my feet. I’m self-sufficient and I’m proud. But I’ve got this niggling feeling in my belly telling me that as good as I’m doing on my own, Archie and me could be even better as a team.
That thought is scary. It rouses the deepest fears in me. It reminds me of a time when my existence revolved around being a cog in the wheel of someone else’s life. So why am I opening myself up to the idea of joining with Archie and trusting him and letting him all the way into my life? These are the questions I ask myself as I walk into the kitchen, listening to the music and laughter as I start chopping vegetables for tomorrow’s lunch.
The dance party keeps going well into the afternoon until the parents start showing up and, one by one, taking their kiddies home. By 5:30, most of the kids have left. Only Melody, Hannah and of course, River remain. I’m sitting on the colorful play mat in the living room, reading stories to the girls.
Archie comes and leans his shoulder on the doorframe. “Hey…” he says with a smile.
The toddlers are already distracted. They’ve ambled away and found toys to play with. I set the book aside and watch him. “Hey. Long day, huh?”
He looks tired. But happy. I see the way the corners of his eyes crinkle and the contented expression on his face. “Long day but I loved it.” He shoves his hands into the pockets of his pants. “These kids give me life.”
I laugh. “Yeah, tell me about it.”
His eyes go solemn. “I’m really happy we’re doing this together, Sophia.”
“I am, too.” My heart thump-thumps in my chest.
Our gazes linger on each other. Oh, the things this man makes me feel.
“Come ‘ere.” He walks over and grabs me by the wrist, yanking me to my feet.
“What are you doing?” I giggle as he pulls me around the corner where the children can’t see us. He pins me to the wall.
“This,” he says and I groan when his mouth makes contact with mine.
There’s restraint in the kiss. He’s holding back. Giving me a tiny sample of the lust buffet I’m craving. Last night, he was holding back, too. Yes, the sex was intense. It was crazy. I had four orgasms under my belt by the time he let me out of that sex dungeon.
But he hid himself from me. He fucked me senseless with his sweatpants around his hips. He wouldn’t allow himself to bare himself to me completely.
And I didn’t say anything because I can’t imagine what it must be like. Living with an amputation. Especially for a man as strong and protective and proud as Archie Jones. I wish he could trust me with his body the way I’m trying to trust him with my heart. But I guess we’re both works in progress.
I’ll be patient with him and hope for his patience in return.
I hear myself whimpering when he pulls away from our kiss. “I’m gonna get going,” he whispers, his lips brushing my cheek.
“Oh, okay.” I think he picks up on the disappointment in my voice.
He’s been here since 8:30 this morning but as they say, time flies when you’re having fun.
His tongue glides across his lips as he looks at me. “I need to get off my feet for a few hours but I could come back later, if that’s what you want…”
That offer sounds beyond amazing. I want to say yes. But I can’t, not until I’ve told him about River.
I give him a playful, little push. “No way. I’m beat after last night.”
Archie’s eyes glitter with mirth. “You sure, baby? Because you could have all this. All night long.”
The offer is tempting, I’ve got to say but I can’t. Even if I weren’t worried he’d find out about River, the truth is I’m tired. Very tired. I promised myself that I’d get started on painting the daycare center bit by bit each night this week but I keep putting it off because by the end of each day, I’m dead on my feet. “Rain check,” I tell him.
He kind of shrugs. “All right. Your loss.” He sweeps his hands up and down his gorgeous body. “I’ll just be in my dank hotel room under my ugly comforter thinking about you as I jerk off.”
I croak out a laugh and punch him in the shoulder. “You’re so weird.”
Archie smirks as he walks back into the living room where the girls are playing. I watch as he says goodbye to them, offering them each a high-five in turn.
When he gets to River, he seems to slow down. He smiles as he searches her face. And my punk-ass heart screams out, begging him to see her, to figure it out on his own so I don’t have to find the words to tell him that she’s his daughter. Instead, he picks her up and gives her a whirl in the air.
“Wheee!” she shouts cartoonishly as she flies overhead.
My chest goes tight, seeing my daughter with her father. You can’t continue to keep them apart, Sophia. They need each other.
He pinches her cheek and sets her back on the floor just as Hannah and Melody’s dad, Keeland, drives up to the curb outside.
Archie’s eyes stay focused on River as he backs away from her. He seems lost in thought as he grabs his sweatshirt from the hook in the entrance closet.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I ask as he sets his hand on the door knob.
He glances back at me with a close-lipped smile. “See you tomorrow.” And he slips out the door.
Chapter Eighteen
Archie
Las Vegas
Two years ago, 10:35 P.M.
It’s like an amusement park on steroids.
Blinding neon lights pop and flash along the tall buildings stretching down the Strip. I’m staring at Daisy and the smile winding across her face outshines it all. Watching the way the breeze whips through her messy hair is something I think I could do for the rest of my life.
The white stretch limo changes lanes abruptly, weaving expertly through the traffic, and Daisy swerves into the side of the open sunroof. Her eyes flare with panic for a half-second but my arms clamp around her waist just as fast. “Don’t worry. I’ve got you,” I whisper in her ear.
She turns to look at me and all that beauty and magnificence shines up at me. Her hands come up and cradle my face. When she slides her lips o
ver mine, I close my eyes to savor the feeling. My mind takes a snapshot of the sensation. It’s something I want to hold onto so that in the rough days and months up ahead, when I’m far from home, in a dangerous territory that’s unfamiliar and I’m fighting against the pesky bugs, the smothering climate, the militant rebels and the fear that threatens to break me, I can come back to this moment and know what it’s like to share a perfect sliver of time with the perfect woman.
Our chests press together. Our tongues dance in sync. She kisses me like I mean something to her, like I mean everything. And I know we only just met but she means more to me than she could ever imagine. That’s why I want to heal as much of her broken heart as I can in the short hours we have left.
The blare of a police siren slices through our kiss. “Heads inside the car, people!” The burly officer yells from where his cruiser is parked haphazardly on the sidewalk. “This isn’t the ending of Pretty Woman. Heads inside the car!”
Daisy drops through the sunroof, falling back into her seat. Her filthy wedding dress poofs out all around her. She tugs on the hem of my shirt, pulling me inside, too.
“I told you that was illegal,” she scolds between giggles.
“I never argued whether it was legal.” I fall into the seat beside her and haul her into my lap. “I just said they do it in movies all the time.”
“Oh right. Never mind what the law says. Let’s just make out while hanging out the sunroof of a limo on the Las Vegas Strip.”
I kiss her again. “You can’t say that didn’t give you a rush.”
She sighs and leans her head on chest. “It did…” She whispers shyly. “You give me a rush.”
And words won’t do the job. They won’t explain to her the dizzying feelings she’s given life to inside of me. So, I kiss her some more, letting my hands roam over her smooth skin.
“What’s your reason?” she asks as she drapes her arms over my shoulders.
I kiss the inside of her elbow, flicking my tongue on the warm skin. “What’s my reason for what?”
The Blue Collar Bachelors Box Set: The Complete Blue Collar Bachelors Series Page 117